Gunstock

ABSTRACT

The action and barrel of a firearm are in direct contact with a high modulus of elasticity holder that receives the vibrations of recoil directly and distributes the vibrations over a wide area. The high modulus of elasticity holder, which may be made of a metal such as aluminum, transfers the forces to the wooden portion of a wooden gunstock over a wide area greater than 12 square inches so that there are substantially no concentrated stresses placed upon the wood.

RELATED CASES

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/494,138 filed Aug. 11, 2003,by inventor, Gerald Robert Thompson. The benefit of provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/494,138 is claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to gunstocks.

It is known for long barrel firearms such as rifles to have woodengunstocks or gunstocks made of synthetic such as plastic or gunstockscomprising a metal platform with a synthetic portion of the stock formedonto it. For example, in one known embodiment, a metal platform isattached to the synthetic portion of the stock as a metal insert in thecavity of an injection molding apparatus to have the synthetic portionof the stock molded onto it.

Wood stocks, without a metal insert have several disadvantages, such asfor example: (1) there are small microscopic openings that in time admitsome moisture causing eventual warping; (2) laminates may have voidsthat weaken the stock and permit eventual failure; (3) wood is subjectto harmonics and subharmonics of the barrel vibrations after each roundis fired; (4) the strength of the wood is not predictable and failure ofthe wood can be sudden and unexpected; (5) in the normal manufacturingof laminates, for reasons of economy, the adhesives used are sprayed ina continuous process of specific volume of adhesive per unit area,whereas the voids that need to be filled are irregular and, thus, somevoids do not get filled; (6) many wood stocks have very small areas ofcontact with the barrel that must adsorb the entire force of recoil thusincreasing the pressure on the points of contact; and (7) the forcesimposed on the wood stock near the breech area of the firearm byfasteners cause damaging stress on the wood.

Synthetic stocks without an insert and with an insert molded into thesynthetic also have disadvantages such as imparting a sharper moreconcentrated kick because the recoil force tends to impact the shooterclose in time with vibrations from resonance effects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a novelfirearm.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel method ofmaking a firearm.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novelgunstock which is more durable and delivers less of a recoil to theshooter.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel woodengunstock with a holder or support for a barrel.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a woodengunstock for a firearm which is not subject to excessive warping intime.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel woodgunstock that is not excessively subject to harmonics and subharmonicsof barrel vibrations.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novellaminated wood gunstock.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel firearmin which the force of recoil is distributed over a substantial portionof the area of the gunstock rather than being concentrated.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a gunstock inwhich the fasteners fastening the breech to the gunstock do not causeconcentrated stress.

In accordance with the above and further objects of the invention, afirearm is provided in which there is a recess in the gunstock thataccommodates a holder or support for the barrel and the breech. Forcesof recoil are thus transferred to the holder and from the holder to thewood stock in a less concentrated form. The holder has a higher modulusof elasticity than the wood and tends to prevent the wood from warping.It also avoids concentrated forces from being applied to the wood toavoid untimely fractures of the wood. In the preferred embodiment, themodulus of elasticity of a single one piece holder that supports boththe barrel and the breech is above three million psi and preferablybetween nine million and ten million psi. However, it must be highenough to retard warping of the gunstock and reduce the concentration ofthe forces of recoil. To avoid the transmission of concentrated forcesto the wood stock, the holder has a contact area with the wood stock ofat least twelve square inches.

When the firearm is fired, the recoil forces are transferred to a holderdirectly rather than being transferred directly to the wood stock. Theholder absorbs the forces and passes them on to the wood stock across anarea of at least twelve square inches. It is stronger and less subjectto warping than the wood stock and tends to hold the wood stock againstwarping.

In manufacturing the wood stock, a recess is formed sufficiently largeto receive the breech and the barrel. A holder is formed that fitswithin the recess with contact with the wood stock of at least twelvesquare inches of area. The holder is fastened to the wood stock.

The barrel and the breech of the firearm is in contact with the holderso that it passes the recoil forces to the holder and not to the woodstock. The firing mechanism such as the trigger and the like passthrough an opening in the applicator and in the wood stock to protrudefrom the wood stock in the conventional manner without providing a pointfor transferring forces to the wood stock. The applicator is fastened tothe wood stock by relatively large tubular connectors instead of thebreech being attached directly to the wood stock. Thus, the fasteners donot pass concentrated forces in the manner that would happen if thebreech itself were fastened directly to the wood stock.

From the above description, it can be understood that the firearm ofthis invention has several advantages, such as for example: (1) the highmodulus of elasticity holder holds the wood stock against warping frommoisture over a period of time; (2) the high modulus of elasticityholder reduces failure from weaknesses in the wood stock; (3) the highmodulus of elasticity holder reduces harmonics and subharmonics in thewood stock after rounds are fired; (4) the high modulus of elasticityholder reduces failure in the woods from concentrated recoil forces; (5)the high modulus of elasticity holder dissipates the concentrated forcesthat are occurring when the firearm is fired over a wider area andapplies forces that are to be transmitted to the wood stock in lessconcentrated form over the wide area; and (6) it does not have fastenersextending from the breech into the wood stock to apply concentratedforces to the wood stock and loosen the fasteners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above noted and other features of the invention will be betterunderstood from the following detailed description when consideredtogether with the accompanied drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a holder mounted within a rifle stock;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, showing a barreland breech lock section within a rifle stock having a holder;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a holder in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the holder of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a left view of the holder of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the holder of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a stock adapted to receive the holders inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the steps in making a firearm inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing the steps in firing a firearm inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1, there is shown a plan view of a rifle stock 12 having aholder 14 mounted within a recess 16 within the stock 12. In theembodiment of FIG. 1, the firearm stock 12 is a wood stock and theholder 14 is an aluminum holder. However, other materials can be used.Generally, the holder 14 will have a modulus of elasticity greater thanthree million psi and in the preferred embodiment, it is approximatelynine million psi (pounds per square inch). It is mounted to have a largearea of at least twelve square inches and the surface area of contactshould be at least ten percent of the surface area of the supportitself. The amount of surface area will of course depend upon theparticular weapon but it is desirable to maximize the surface to spreadthe force of recoil throughout the high modulus of elasticity holder andtransfer it to the wood stock over the widest possible area to avoidconcentrated forces on the wood stock.

The holder 14 includes a breech block section 38, the barrel supportingsection 18 preferably has a flat upper surface against which the barrelrests to receive the vibrations from the barrel. The breech blocksection 38 includes on its upper surface a recess portion 22, first andsecond through openings 26 and 28, a curved support 24, a bushingsupport 32, cut away portions 34 and 30, and a shoulder 36. Bushings 40and 42 having central openings for bolts extending downwardly from thetop surface of the holder to receive fasteners for tightly fastening theholder against the firearm stock. The recess portion 22 receives acorrespondingly shaped portion of the breech block to hold it in place,while the breech block itself extends and is exposed in the opening 26and the trigger mechanism extends downwardly through the opening 28 toprotrude from the bottom of a corresponding opening in the wood stock.The curved support 24 receives the chamber which is correspondinglyshaped and has through it the bushing 40 for holding the holder to thefirearm stock. At the near end of the breech block extending away fromthe barrel support section 18 is a support 34 that accommodates thebushing 42. The cut away portion 34 accommodates the breech lever andthe cutaway portion 30 and shoulder 36 receive correspondingly shapedportions of the breech block.

With this arrangement, the holder receives the recoil vibrations uponfiring and conducts the strain throughout the holder where it isimparted to a wide surface area of the wood stock. Also, it holds thewood stock against curved warping because it is fully recessed with itssides in contact with the inner side of the recess of the wood stock toprevent such bending. Because of the extensive contact both laterallyand at the underside, there is sufficient restraining force against suchwarping. With a modulus of elasticity of more than three million psi,its strength is greater than that of conventional firearm stocks so thatit has ample strength to resist the forces of recoil.

In FIG. 2, there is shown a fragmentary side, elevational view of afirearm 46 having the breech block 48, a trigger mechanism 50 and abarrel 52 resting on the holder 14 (FIG. 1). With this arrangement, whenthe firearm 46 is fired, the barrel 52 vibrates against the holderprimarily to pass concentrated stresses to it. The breech block 48 haspoints of high force that also impinge against the holder, which in thepreferred embodiment, is a single piece so that the forces enter theholder and are conducted through it because of its relatively highmodulus of elasticity. The recoil force is also transmitted backwardlythrough the stock, which is preferably wood, while the recoil vibrationsare within the holder to reduce the total recoil force against theshoulder of the shooter.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a top view of the holder 14 shown without thefasteners that would go within the bushings 42 and 40 or within theopening 54 to fasten the holder to the bottom of the wood stock.However, the parts are otherwise the same as in FIG. 1 and are numberedaccordingly. As can be best seen in this view, in the preferredembodiment, the holder is made as a single unit except for the fastenersto increase the translation of vibrations that are perpendicular to theplane of the holder into vertical strains, to convert vibrational energyto heat energy, dissipate the heat energy and to transfer the vibrationswith reduced amplitude over a wide area of the stock.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown, respectively, right and leftelevational views of the holder 14 showing the bushing 42, the bushing40, the barrel supporting section 18 and the opening 54 for a fastener.In FIG. 4, there is shown the cut away portions 34 and 30 to receivebreech levers. At the bottom of the barrel supporting section 18, inspaced apart relation to each other, are protruding parallelopipedintegrally formed units 55 and 56 that fit into corresponding openingsin the wood stock under the barrel supporting section 18 for a firmerconnection to increase the connection between the barrel supportingsection 18 and the wood stock.

In FIG. 6, there is shown a bottom view of a holder 14 indicating theparts shown in FIGS. 3-5 by the identical numbers and showing moreclearly serrations 58, two of which are numbered and which extendthroughout the length of the barrel supporting section and a portion ofthe breech block supporting section 20 in some embodiments to hold moreepoxy for a better connection between the barrel holding section and thewood stock.

In FIG. 7, there is shown a plan view of a stock 12 including theopening 16 for receiving the holder and having the openings 60, 62, 64,66 and 68. In the barrel support section, there is a raised triangularportion 70. The openings 62 and 68 are to receive the bushings 40 and 42(FIGS. 1, and 3-5), the breech block section opening 64, the triggermechanism opening 66, the spacer wedge 70 and the gripping openings 60.

In FIG. 8, there is shown a flow diagram 71 of the steps which may beused to make an embodiment of firearm in accordance with the inventioncomprising the step 72 of preparing a wooden gunstock with a recess forholder, barrel and breech or action mechanism, the step 74 of preparinga one-piece high modulus of elasticity holder, the step 76 of mountingthe holder to the wood stock with a large contact area, and the step 78of mounting the barrel and breech on the holder without substantialcontact with the wood stock. With these steps, a holder is provided in afirearm which distributes the vibrational forces over an area of thewood stock and tends to hold the wood stock from bending.

In FIG. 9, there is shown a flow diagram 80 illustrating the actionstaken in using a firearm in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention comprising the step 82 of firing a firearm having a woodenstock and a one-piece high modulus of elasticity holder, the step 84 oftransferring the recoil vibrations directly to the holder without barrelor breech contact of the stock, and the step 86 of transferringvibrations to a wide area of the wooden stock without concentratedforces. With this arrangement, the firearm is fired, but instead of therecoil vibrations being transferred directly to the wooden portion ofthe stock, they are transferred to the high modulus of elasticity holderwhere they are distributed over a wide area greater than 12 squareinches and then transferred to the wooden portion of the stock.

As can be understood from the above description, the firearm of thisinvention has several advantages, such as for example: (1) a highmodulus of elasticity holder holds the wood stock against warping frommoisture over a period of time; (2) a high modulus of elasticity holderfor the barrel and action of the firearm reduces failure from weaknessin the wood stock; (3) a high modulus of elasticity holder for thefirearm action and barrel reduces harmonics and subharmonics in the woodstock after rounds are fired; (4) a high modulus of elasticity holderreduces failure in the wood from concentrated recoil forces; (5) a highmodulus of elasticity holder dissipates the concentrated forces that areoccurring when the firearm is fired over a wider area and applies forcesthat are to be transmitting to the wood stock in less concentrated formover the wide area; and (6) it is not necessary to have fastenersextending from the breech of the firearm into the wood stock and thusavoids concentrated forces being applied to the wood stock to loosen thefasteners.

1. A method of making a firearm comprising the steps of: forming agunstock with a recess sufficiently large to receive a barrel and actionof the firearm; fastening a holder to the gunstock in the recess;supporting the barrel and action of the firearm on the holder, whereinthe holder has a high modulus of elasticity and vibration conductivity,whereby recoil forces are distributed over the holder without damages tothe holder and from a holder to a contact area with the gunstock of atleast 12 square inches whereby vibrational forces in the holder aretransferred to the gunstock over a wide area without concentration offorces.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of supportingthe barrel and action of the firearm comprises the step of supportingthe barrel and action on a one-piece holder having a modulus ofelasticity of at least 3 million psi.
 3. A method according to claim 2wherein the step of supporting the barrel and action of the firearm on aone-piece holder comprises the step of supporting the barrel and actionon a one-piece holder having a modulus of elasticity of between ninemillion and ten million psi.
 4. A method of firing a firearm having abarrel and breech support and a firearm stock comprising the steps of:firing the firearm; transmitting vibrations of the barrel and breech tothe support without transmitting vibrations from the barrel and breechdirectly to the stock; transmitting the vibrations from the support to awide area of the stock, whereby concentrated vibrational forces are notapplied directly to the stock from the support and vibrational forcesare not applied directly from the barrel and breech to the stock; thestep of transmitting vibrations of the barrel and breech to the supportincluding the substep of distributing the vibrations throughout thesupport; and the step of transmitting vibrations from the support to awide area of the stock including the substep of transmitting vibrationsover an area of at least 12 square inches and at least 10 percent of thesupport.
 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the step oftransmitting vibrations of the barrel and breech to the supportcomprises the step of supporting the barrel and action on a one-pieceholder having a modulus of elasticity of at least 3 million psi.
 6. Amethod according to claim 4 wherein the step of transmitting vibrationsof the barrel and breech to the support comprises the step of supportingthe barrel and action on a one-piece holder having a modulus ofelasticity of between nine million and ten million psi.
 7. A firearmcomprising: a barrel; a breech; a gunstock; a holder; said gunstockhaving a recess sufficiently large to receive the holder, barrel andbreech of the firearm; the holder being fastened in the recess to thegunstock; the barrel and breech of the firearm being fastened on theholder; the holder having a high modulus of elasticity, whereby recoilforces are distributed over the holder without damages to the holder;and said gunstock and holder having at least 10 square inches in contactwith each other and at least 10 percent of the support, wherebyvibrational forces in the holder are transferred to the gunstock over awide area without concentration of forces.
 8. A firearm according toclaim 7 in which the holder is a one-piece holder having a modulus ofelasticity of at least 3 million psi.
 9. A firearm according to claim 7in which the holder is a one-piece holder having a modulus of elasticityof between nine million and ten million psi.
 10. A support for afirearm, comprising: a top surface for supporting a barrel and breech ofthe firearm; a bottom surface for contacting a gunstock of the firearm;fastener means for fastening a holder to the gunstock of the firearm;said holder having an opening positioned to be aligned with acorresponding opening in the gunstock of the firearm for permitting afiring mechanism to extend below the gunstock of the firearm; the holderbeing fastened in a recess to the gunstock; the holder having a highmodulus of elasticity, whereby recoil forces are distributed over theholder without damages to the holder; and said gunstock and holderhaving at least 12 square inches in contact with each other, wherebyvibrational forces in the holder are transferred to the gunstock over awide area without concentration of forces.
 11. A support for a firearmaccording to claim 10 in which the holder is a one-piece holder having amodulus of elasticity of at least 3 million psi.
 12. A support for afirearm according to claim 10 in which the holder is a one-piece holderhaving a modulus of elasticity of between 9 and 10 million psi.